VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (letter)

Give Obama time

March 13, 2007|By Al Davis

Elmhurst — State Sen. Dan Cronin (R-Elmhurst) recently wrote "Barack Obama is no Abe Lincoln" (Voice of the people, Feb. 18). Then the Tribune published a series of letters ripping Cronin's opinion. In both cases there seems to be some overt party favoritism in evidence, but the fact is, Cronin mostly got it right.

Although Cronin was in error in implying that Obama has never espoused an opinion that wasn't poll-tested (publicly opposing our entry into Iraq was a pretty unpopular thing at the time), in every other respect Cronin is right. It is extraordinarily unfair to attempt to compare Lincoln and Obama at this point. We have 150 years of history with which to place the long-term ramifications of Lincoln's action in context, whereas we have little but hope upon which to judge Obama. Hope is a powerful motivator, and Obama makes a persuasive case for his ideas, but he is untested and untempered by the political fires to come. Cronin's other primary observation--that the frenzy surrounding Obama is media-driven--is entirely correct in both its technological assessment and its ramifications, and his assertion that Obama could be the next Jimmy Carter, while flattering from a moral standpoint, could become frighteningly true in the political sense. This, however, is why we have our current political process.

Let's all take a deep breath, step back and give Obama the chance to show whether he possesses the qualities of a peanut farmer or a log-cabin builder. Only time will tell.